Comparison Trap
Comparing yourself to someone you think is doing better than you is called this.
Upward Comparison
Instead of comparing your recovery to someone else's, compare yourself to this person.
Who is my past self/me yesterday?
Reframe: “Everybody is doing better than me.”
Everyone has a different timeline”/similar healthy response
What is the name of the CEO
Jimmy Christmas
At least my addiction wasn't as bad as his” can lead to this problem because you're making your own substance use seem less serious...
Minimization
Name one healthy thing you can do when someone else's success makes you jealous.
What is acknowledge the feeling, reframe it, ask what I can learn, focus on my goal
Reframe: “He got a job before me, so I'm failing.”
“His success doesn't mean I'm failing”/similar?
What is the address of the building?
2604 N Parham Rd
Fill in the chain: Comparison → Thought → Feeling → _____ → Consequence.
Behavior
Name one way another person's success can be used as inspiration instead of comparison.
What is learning from them, asking for advice, seeing what's possible
Reframe: “She has more clean time than me, so my progress doesn't mean anything.”
What is “My clean time still matters”/“Everyone starts somewhere”
Caroline Clarke
Comparing yourself to someone you believe is worse off than you is called this.
Downward comparison
Someone else's recovery is going well and you immediately feel jealous. What's the first thing you should do: deny it, act on it, or recognize the feeling without letting it control your behavior?
What is recognize the feeling?
Reframe: “Everybody has more support than I do, so there's no point in trying.”
What is “I can work on building my own support system”/similar?
What is the name of our facilitator?
Vernon Jones
Explain one way upward comparison AND downward comparison can each become harmful to recovery.
Upward can create inadequacy/jealousy/hopelessness;
Downward can create minimization/overconfidence.
A person in treatment says, “I'm doing better than everybody here, so I probably don't need this program.” Identify the recovery risk in that thinking.
What is minimization, overconfidence, lack of insight, reduced treatment engagement
Reframe: “I've messed up too many times. Everybody else is further ahead, so I'll never get where they are.”
What is “My past doesn't determine my next decision; I can focus on my next step”/similar healthy reframe?
How old is America
250 years old